We had a pretty quiet fall weekend here which I didn't mind as the weather was nice enough to be outside quite a bit. The key to happiness for us is outdoor time! Here is how we spent our weekend!
We had a quiet Friday night. After logging off from work, I read Anne of Green Gables, which is a delightful re-read, while kitty kept trying to find a place to sit on my chest. I didn't take a picture of our dinner, but we had walleye with a lemon butter sauce, broccoli and a baked potato. It was really good!
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| Is there room for me? |
On Saturday morning, I met up with 4 moms from my mom's group, sans kids, at a park for a catch up. We keep in touch via text, but we hadn't seen each other since last October! We were going to get together in March to celebrate the toddlers birthday, but then covid hit. It was great to catch up and hear about what is going on in their lives. One of the moms is a couple weeks further along than I am and their baby has a major heart defect and will require surgery in the first week of life and further surgeries. So it was good to hear how she is doing/hear what to expect for the first 6 months of life so we can figure out how to support her with meals and such. It puts my GD/RA/challenging pregnancy in perspective as what she is dealing with is so so difficult. Phil stayed home with Paul and I was gone for about 2 hours - it was nice to get a little time away!
After Paul's nap that day, we went for a walk and stopped at the park. Since it was a cold morning, Paul hadn't been outside at all so it was good for all of us to get some fresh air and let Paul run off some of his endless energy!
When we got back from the walk, Paul and I made cookies. We used this easy recipe from my friend San's blog and they were really good. We used PB instead of almond butter as we aren't almond butter eaters. Paul's favorite part was licking the peanut butter spoon! I used monkfruit sweetener instead of coconut sugar - monkfruit is a sugar substitute that doesn't raise your blood sugar like sugar does. They turned out really good and only have 10g of carbs/cookie so I'm able to have one as part of a snack.
I made a stew in the instant pot with pork roast, butternut squash, and corn - it turned out good! You cut off the kernels from the cobs and put the cobs in with the stew when cooking and it really adds corn flavor to the stew. The recipe came from my Milk Street Kitchen cook book - pretty much everything we've made from it has been great! I recommend it for people who love to use their instant pot!
When we got back from the walk, we had an early lunch and then headed to his haircut appointment. He has school pics this week so I figured it was a good time for a trim. It's not my favorite haircut of the 4 he's had, but oh well. His hair is tough to cut because it's very fine/thin and he has a lot of cowlicks in the back. But it looks good enough from the front!
He took a good nap after he got home from the haircut and then Phil and him headed out for a walk to the creek to throw rocks. I came down with a flare during the night on Saturday and it was feeling worse by the afternoon so I opted to stay home. After their walk, Paul took my spot on the couch and played for quite a while. He is usually in constant motion!
I made a stew in the instant pot with pork roast, butternut squash, and corn - it turned out good! You cut off the kernels from the cobs and put the cobs in with the stew when cooking and it really adds corn flavor to the stew. The recipe came from my Milk Street Kitchen cook book - pretty much everything we've made from it has been great! I recommend it for people who love to use their instant pot!
We woke up to chilly 37F temps on Sunday morning. The sun was shining so I bundled Paul up and we went out for a walk. He ditched the hat and mittens within the first 1/2 mile, though.
For dinner, I made this crustless broccoli cheddar quiche. I was hoping Paul would eat it as I cut the broccoli pretty small but he wouldn't ever TASTE it. That is one of the most frustrating aspects of feeding Paul. When we offer him new things, a lot of the time he won't even put it in his mouth, even though Phil and I are eating the same thing and tell him how good it is. Toddlers! Phil and I enjoyed it, though.
And that's a wrap! All in all, it was a good weekend. I could have done without the flare (and I got another one during the night last night). But so it goes!
How was your weekend?
9 comments:
Wow, you had some pretty nice meals!! I didn't really cook I single thing... we were busy with a swim meet and a soccer game and cooking just didn't really fit in. Unless you count ordering at Chipotle cooking. ;-) I need to check out that stew recipe. I LOVE soups and stews, though my husband can take them or leave them. I have a butternut squash sitting here waiting to be used though, and that sounds delicious! The broccoli cheddar quiche sounds yummy too. I've actually NEVER made quiche! I don't know really know why..maybe I need to try!
It sounds like a fabulous weekend. Cooking time, Paul time, friend time and book time. We all need a weekend like that!
My grandpa has diabetes now as part of his cancer treatment and my aunt who was previously anti almond flour/general substitute foods is now all about it so he can still have treats. I'll have to ask if she's ventured into monkfruit sugar yet!
Sounds like a great weekend with some delicious recipes! You are do good about trying new recipes! That stew sounds great. We are starting to get butternut squash in the garden, so I may have to give that a try!!
I am so sorry to hear about your friend who's baby will need all those heart surgeries :( That has to be daunting to be pregnant knowing that is coming up.
I know 37 is cold...but i am jealous lol!
I'm so jealous of your cold weather, haha. It was 105 here yesterday and I am OVER IT. Ugh.
I'm glad you were able to get together - sans kids - with your mom's group friends! That must have been so nice to catch up. <3
That's nice that you were able to get together with some mom friends and catch up. I am sorry to hear that another mom's baby will require heart surgery after birth. That sounds like a tough diagnosis.
I am happy to hear you tried the nut butter cookies and liked them. I feel like any nut butter will do for these cookies :)
You're really selling me on the Instapot...and I love the idea of adding the cobs to the stew. That's clever!
It's good you got some kid-free social time. That's been hard to manage with limited childcare / COVID...I socialize on the run, but it's hard to get time with my other friends. And texting just isn't the same.
We will have to start exchanging low carb recipes! I have been eating mostly low carb for a couple months now. I LOVE monk fruit sweetener. I tried stevia but it left such an icky after taste. I agree monk fruit is a great sugar sub. A favourite snack for me is to have some raspberries and pour a little bit of heavy cream or whipping cream on them (just 1-2 tbsp) and then a sprinkle of monk fruit sweetener. It hits the spot when my sweet tooth is raging!
Being outside makes me happiest too ... I think I forget that sometimes. It has been nice enough that I've still been walking most days, and I met up with a friend for 2 laps around the lake the other day, which was so nice. I also realized this summer/fall how much I like just sitting outside by the water. I've been trying to learn to relax, as I am always pretty anxious, and being outside has been so helpful. I have never read Anne of Green Gables, but I remember loving the show as a kid!!
Pablo is such a cutie! I love his smile 😀
The meals in this post look and sound fantastic! I love quiche, but Christopher prefers his eggs not in quiche or omelet form, so we don't have ot too often.
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